Unemployment rates mostly fall in US battleground states

WASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment rates mostly fell in August compared with a year ago in U.S. presidential swing states, including Florida and North Carolina.

But they were up in some hotly contested states, such as Pennsylvania, where the rate jumped to 5.7 percent from 4.9 percent 12 months earlier.

Typically, falling unemployment is a good sign for an incumbent party in a presidential election. But GOP nominee Donald Trump points out that growth remains weak and is seeking to benefit from the economic distress that is still apparent in many pockets of the nation.

Overall, the data painted a mixed picture. Unemployment rates also fell in the past year in close-fought states such as Georgia, Virginia and New Hampshire. Yet they rose in Iowa and Ohio.